Hangout Music Fest: Organisers planning for possible changes
NEW YORK: Organisers of the 2020 Hangout Music Fest are sticking to their guns for now on presenting the event, though they say they’re “planning for multiple scenarios.”
The event, scheduled for May 15-17 in Gulf Shores, has become a conspicuous holdout in a general move to postpone concerts and festivals in response to a coronavirus epidemic. Other major Gulf Coast festivals have made the call: The Seabreeze Jazz Festival, which was to take place April 22-26 in the Panama City Beach area, has moved back to April 2021. The biggest of them all, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, was to take place the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May but has postponed until the fall. The new dates haven’t yet been announced.
Recently, Hangout organisers published a brief statement:
“Hangout Fest 2020 (May 15 -17) currently falls just after the end of the CDC’S recommended timeline for a stoppage of public gatherings in order to help slow the COVID-19 crisis.
“It remains our hope to keep the event moving forward as planned, but given the rapidly changing landscape, we are currently planning for multiple scenarios and are working with appropriate authorities and major lodging companies in the area to provide answers and solutions for our fans as quickly as possible.”
The statement went on to list a number of rental companies and hotels that have agreed to hold off on requiring deposits and payments from Hangout Fest attendees.
In referring to CDC guidance, the statement may be on uncertain ground. It is true that on March 15 the CDC published a statement laying out a specific timeframe. It said, in part: “CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organisers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.”
Read literally, that recommendation would end May 10, the Sunday before the festival. However, that exact wording is no longer part of the CDC’S guidance on large events. It offers “Considerations for Postponing or Cancelling a Mass Gathering,” with no specific time frame. The listed considerations include facts such as the size of the event, the anticipated density of the crowd, the potential economic impact to participants, and the level of coronavirus transmission both in the local community and in the communities from which attendees have travelled.
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine, a site that tracks changes to websites, shows that the Cdc.gov page in question has undergone frequent editing. The verbiage about an eightweek time frame apparently was removed in the early hours of March 17. Some events outside the eight-week guidance have already made changes. One notable example is the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which was to take place June 11-14 in Tennessee. It has rescheduled for Sept. 24-27.
Grant Brown, director of recreational and cultural affairs for the city of Gulf Shores, said it just makes good sense not to rush to a decision on Hangout Fest. City officials regularly communicate with festival organisers, and all of them are keeping a close eye on developments, he said.
“That’s still a month and a half, two months out,” he said. “The decision will be forthcoming, but it’s too early to make that call.”
Brown said city officials have gotten some
“pushback” from residents concerned about the influx of travelers. But the state of the epidemic has been changing rapidly and city leaders think it’s proper to wait a while, perhaps into early April, before making a decision, he said. If the epidemic worsens it would clearly be “irresponsible” to proceed, he said.
According to information posted on the festival website, the following vacation rental companies “have agreed to postpone any further deposits or payments from our fans until May 1:” Brett Robinson, Meyer Vacation Rentals, Spectrum Resorts (Beach Club & Turquoise), Lucky Bird Vacation Rentals, Beachball Properties, Young’s Suncoast Vacation Rentals, Bender Vacation Rentals.
According to the site, the following hotels have likewise agreed to postpone deposits and payments until May 1, at least for bookings made directly with them: The Lodge at Gulf State Park, Courtyard by Marriott Gulf Shores, Staybridge Suites Gulf Shores, Hampton Inn Gulf Shores, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Gulf Shores.
“Fans are encouraged to reach out directly to the company associated with your hotel, condo and/or beach house for full details regarding updated reservation policies,” advised the site.
The Hangout Music Festival (commonly referred to as Hangout Fest or Hangout) is an annual three-day music festival held at the public beaches of Gulf Shores directly accompanying its sister restaurant The Hangout (Restaurant).
The festival is produced by Sean O’connell in partnership with Goldenvoice. O’connell, who has been involved in Hangout since its inception, became director of the festival in 2013.
The event features many genres of music, including rock, indie, hip hop, and electronic dance music. The main stages are the Hangout Stage and the Surf Stage ( located on opposite ends of the beach), as well as the Boom Boom Tent and more. The festival generally takes place on the third weekend in May. It is the first major music festival held on the beach in the city.
Notable acts that have performed at Hangout Fest include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, Outkast, Mumford & Sons, The Weeknd, The Killers, Jack White, Dave Matthews Band, Twenty One Pilots, Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age, Florence and the Machine, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic, Paramore, Ellie Goulding, The Avett Brothers, Chance the Rapper, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Khalid and Cardi B. Acts such as the Trey Anastasio Band, The Flaming Lips, Moon Taxi, and Bassnectar have performed several times at the festival.